This Friday the 13th – make your own luck

This year, I launched the first Yallourn North Ghost Tour on the a stormy moody Firday the 13th of February, the first for the year. This November is the third Friday the 13th for the year. I’ll have completed my fourth exam early that day, and be ready to immerse myself and you, in the tales of the paranormal in Yallourn North. What a way to wind down with completing my third year of university and running a business that is getting quite a buzz.

I was thinking that my luck had run out when I saw the exam timetable posted and my last exam for Friday the 13th of November, when earlier this year I’d plan to run tours every spooky day in 2015.

Some of the things I uncovered about the beliefs around Friday the 13th are listed below.

Did anyone change their bed today? The lore says you will have bad dreams.

Did any cut their nails today? The rhyme says you cut them for sorrow.

Did anyone start a business on Friday the 13th? Oh me. They say, I’ll have immense bad luck, collapse and bankruptcy.

In 1306 the Knights of the Templar were rounded up on a Friday the 13th, they were tortured.

Some of the lore around this is that in Rome, a gathering of 12 witches was normal however if a 13 appeared the 13th witch would be considered the devil.

If you like simple numerology Jack the Ripper had 13 letters in his name as does Charles Manson and other infamous people, it’s said to be the devils luck, it is interesting that fluffy bunnies also has 13 numbers and in Australia we sent out rabbit hunting parties regularly, in the 90’s we poisoned them with myximotisis they really had the run of devils luck.

In Yallourn, 1953 there was a terrible explosion at the briquette plant, the cause wasn’t known. 1 person was killed and 13 injured.

The worst event that struck this area on a Friday the 13th was in 1933 on January Friday the 13th. A fire raged across the state, it killed 100 people. One of those people were from the Yallourn district trying to flee the fire, he realised he couldn’t out run the flames and threw himself into a ditch. Where he was found later, dead.